Skateboards are commonly constructed as a board or platform connected with four wheels that are attached in pairs to axle assemblies sometimes referred to as “trucks.” The user places one or both feet on the board while rolling under the force of gravity or self-propulsion. While skateboards can be used for transportation, skateboards are commonly ridden for recreational or sporting activities.
A variety of skateboard styles exist including different lengths, widths, and shapes depending upon e.g., the intended use or appeal to the rider. One type of skateboard, referred to as a longboard, uses a board having an increased length so as to extend the distance between the front pair of wheels and the rear pair of wheels. Longboards are often faster because of the wheel sizes used.
A popular sporting activity with skateboards, particularly the longboard variety, is referred to as sliding. In sliding, the rider intentionally causes the wheels to slide across a surface usually at a non-parallel angle to the rolling direction of the wheel. Wheels particularly formulated for sliding may be constructed from materials such as e.g., soft polyurethanes that facilitate sliding or skidding and may also leave marks on the ridden surface.
Typically, as the skateboard wheels are slid across surfaces in such manner, the wheels wear down as material is removed from their radially outermost contact surface. Over time, particularly for certain wheel types, the removal of material generally creates a cone-shaped wheel—i.e. a wheel having an increasing diameter along its axis of rotation in a direction from the inboard to the outboard side. This “coning” of the wheel can be accelerated by the use of softer materials for constructing the wheel and sliding as previously mentioned. Once the wheel has undergone a certain level of coning, the wheel may need replacement.
Alternatively, for certain wheel types, the user may be able to flip or reverse the orientation of the wheel on the axle and obtain extended use of the wheel. More particularly, three common types of skateboard wheels include center-set, off-set, and side-set. As will be understood by one of skill in the art, each type refers to a different location where weight is transferred to the wheel from the axle. This is typically determined the location of the bearings within the wheel. Center-set wheels, for example, typically have a bearing positioned near the center of the wheel, side-set wheels having a bearing located near the side of the wheel, and off-set wheels have a bearing located e.g., at about ⅔ the width of the wheel.
With center-set wheels in which the bearings supporting the axle are centrally located, once coning has occurred, the wheel can be flipped or reversed in orientation along the axle so as to balance the wear. For example, the wheel can be reversed to place the larger diameter side of coned wheel on the inboard side—i.e. on the side closest to the skateboard. This allows the rider to obtain extended life from the wheel. However, this procedure cannot be readily performed with side-set or off-set wheels because of the location of the bearings within the wheel prevents the wheel from being simply reversed and placed back onto the axle. Thus, after a certain amount of coning has occurred, these wheels typically must be replaced. Such replacement is particularly problematic because certain riders prefer side-set wheels—believing such orientation performs better for certain types of riding such as e.g., sliding. Worse, the side-set wheels are prone to coning more quickly than center-set wheels in certain skateboarding activities such as sliding.
Accordingly, a wheel core assembly for a skateboard that allows the wheel to be readily reversed or flipped in order to obtain extended usage of the wheel would be useful. Such a wheel core assembly that can be used with side-set wheels would be particularly useful. A wheel core assembly having these benefits that can also be readily flipped or reversed by the user without necessarily using special purpose tools would be also be particularly beneficial.